Prosthetic hair?

[Rockinlove]

I have always envied hair systems. They seemed perfect except for the fact that they lasted only for a short while and were not economically viable in the long run. Clinical trials are also taking far too long and most of us are still stuck on propecia and rogaine to battle hair loss. Topical anti-androgens are not viable either.

So I came across this new report today: http://www.nydailynews.com/services/how-to/3-d-printing-solves-hair-loss-article-1.2571883

Wondering if this might just be the holy grail?

Does anyone have more information on this?

I hope it does not turn out to be like the grotesque horror that biofibres were. The article makes it clear that it is nothing akin. I hope it is permanent or at least something that would last for a fairly long time.

 

[paleocapa89]

this is a 3D printed hair system if I understood it correctly. That is not a holy grail by any means.

 

[Rockinlove]

I found this report where they highlight that it lasts for years and not months. If this is true then it is vastly different from that of a conventional lace hair piece.

http://3dprint.com/117092/cesare-ragazzi-laboratories/

If it is not too expensive then it might just be a long term option to consider.

this is a 3D printed hair system if I understood it correctly. That is not a holy grail by any means.

 

[paleocapa89]

Maybe it lasts a year before you throw it away, but that probably still means that you have to take it on an off, clean it etc. monthly.

 

[Rockinlove]

I have been thinking that perhaps bionics is the answer to most problems pertaining to ageing, cellular atrophy and consequential tissue degeneration. 3d printed bionic organs, hair and artificial skin among other things. A technology like this holds promise for a permanent bionic solution in the future.

If mass produced then they could also be very viable in terms of cost and affordability. Besides, 3d printing delineates into enormous cost saving possibilities owing to the fact that it breaks down the supply chain requirements to a bare minimum. It is certainly worth looking into.

If I have read into this correctly then this means that this material is synthetic and not real hair but something that mimics it closely?

Artificial skin is already available: http://www.livescience.com/52693-artificial-skin-creates-sensation.html

An expensive approach would be to put an artificial skin graft with hair on the scalp. It would prevent the problems pertaining to genetic hair loss.

Maybe it lasts a year before you throw it away, but that probably still means that you have to take it on an off, clean it etc. monthly.

 

[nameless]

It's nothing more than a well designed wig.

When you're in their chair so they can affix it to your head it will have all of the hairs in a one piece system that has a base like any other wig.

 

[Rockinlove]

Indeed. And what intrigues me is that it is made of synthetic material; my conjecture is that it looks as good as a lace hair system with real hair but is not subject to the same degree of deterioration. Apparently it can last years with only monthly maintenance required which does not sound that bad to me (look at the second link that provides more information).

I am keen to procure more information about this company.

Any biological component is subject to consequential deterioration. .

It's nothing more than a well designed wig.

When you're in their chair so they can affix it to your head it will have all of the hairs in a one piece system that has a base like any other wig.

 

[Rockinlove]

Everything boils down to surmise and conjecture. Existing approaches cannot overcome the problem of cellular senescence and consequential atrophy. Ergo, any regrowth solution for Androgenetic Alopecia cannot achieve full coverage sans a hair transplant. And the latter is limited in its scope owing to donor hair limitations.

I had the precognition of positing bioengineered skin tissue with hair as being a lasting remedy for hair loss. Seems like someone has gone ahead and done just that!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/scientists-grow-skin-help-people-7671765

 

[buckthorn]

At this point I think it will be easier for someone to engineer a permanent hair system. And by permanent, I mean PERMANENT. Not on top of your scalp, it BECOMES your scalp!! you completely REMOVE your male pattern baldness disease ridden scalp. bioengineer a replacement with indestructible NW1 hair that can graft into your own skin. You would just have to hide the sutures with a a nice, feathery hair transplant. wahahaha... FRANKENSTEIN SCALP!! How can we do this people?!?! SWOOOOOOP?!?! I FIGURED IT OUT!!!

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LOL :uglylol:

 

[Rockinlove]

No sutures. No hair transplant. With wnt signalling restored, the new scalp can grow hair. read the last para in the article.

At this point I think it will be easier for someone to engineer a permanent hair system. And by permanent, I mean PERMANENT. Not on top of your scalp, it BECOMES your scalp!! you completely REMOVE your male pattern baldness disease ridden scalp. bioengineer a replacement with indestructible NW1 hair that can graft into your own skin. You would just have to hide the sutures with a a nice, feathery hair transplant. wahahaha... FRANKENSTEIN SCALP!! How can we do this people?!?! SWOOOOOOP?!?! I FIGURED IT OUT!!!

- - - Updated - - -

LOL :uglylol:

 

[Rockinlove]

This approach would be a singular 'cure' regardless of the alopecia that you are suffering from.

Honestly, you might not be far off - it just might be easier to grow a new, youthful scalp than try to get hair to grow in an Androgenetic Alopecia-ravaged one. In the hands of a good plastic surgeon, the scars would be minimal, and as you noted, more or less covered by hair. At this point, the pharmas have a limited amount of time to develop a pharma-based protocol before bio-engineering makes such a transplant possible.

 

[I.D WALKER]

I think particularly for our high Norwood brothers and sister's, those who's hair is beyond restorative redemption (so to speak),
forming some version of scalp replacement therapy might be the most logical step.
I'll use long-term termite infestation to further illustrate OP's point.
As we know from generally accepted building/engineering practices,
when an older structure's foundation starts to weaken due to aforesaid diagnosis ,
then over time (and sometimes quickly) it's whole supportive system is impacted or contaminated and eventually
builders must decide whether it's worth the insurance/financial risks to preserve it or desert it.
Now some times in more ideal circumstances they can
isolate the problem spot and repair it. Other times a building is let go or neglected and these unaddressed problems eventually manifest and spread systemically.
Once this evaluation is determined, the demolition experts take over, the structure is razed, the rubble is removed
and the forms for a new foundation are set while
dubious and curious spectators, near and far come to watch
as an aesthetically captivating, towering edifice suddenly rises from it's former site of devastation.